Incorporated as Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) in 1978, the mission is to facilitate sharing of the Gospel through investments, loans and ministry-support services, ensuring funds and resources are available now and in the future
| New Mission Starts | 4.125% |
| Congregational | 4.500% |
| Specialized Ministries | 2.500% |
| RCW Mortgage APR | 3.590% |
| StewardAccount® | 0.375% - 1.000% |
| Family Emergency | 1.125% |
| 5-Year Term Note | 1.625% |
LCEF makes gifted funds available to ministry efforts in specific LCMS districts and around the world. You can direct your gift to a specific LCEF ministry that touches your heart.
This fund honors Merle Freitag, past president of LCEF, with the purpose of providing funds to mission plants in the United States. Merle recognized that many Covenant Congregations and mission plants were in need of operational resources to effectively launch the ministry. Loan requests are made by the Covenant Congregation on behalf of the new church plant. The maximum loan amount is $150,000, and has a three-year balloon at zero interest.
The goal of this funds it to provide for the short-term needs or start-up costs for new partner churches or ministries around the world. Loan requests for the fund come to LCEF through the LCMS Board of Mission Services. Loans made through this fund do carry the risk in lending money to entities in other countries. Rapid fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies could make it difficult for borrowers to repay their loans.
Laborers For Christ is an organized group of dedicated Christian men and women who volunteer a portion of their retirement time to work for LCMS congregations, schools, and social ministry organizations that undertake the construction of their own buildings. A gift to this ministry helps this Christ-centered effort to continue building for our future.
Often LCEF District Vice Presidents and their staff see needs close to home that could be met through an outreach grant, a fee waiver, or other ministry-oriented service. A gift to a specific district could assist a ministry at the grass-roots level: close to your home or in a district close to your heart.
LCEF offers programs meant to lift up congregations and assist them in defining their missions, conducting stewardship awareness, and recognizing the make-up of their mission field and community. By giving a gift to one of the service areas such as Demographics or CFS, you help keep the costs low for congregations and essential services available.
LCEF recognizes the vital ministry conducted by LCMS pastors, teachers, and other church workers. In order to help these servants of the Lord focus on their ministries, and at the request of the Synod, LCEF offers housing and debt consolidation loans to rostered church workers. Your gift to this fund keeps loan rates as low as possible for our dedicated pastors and teachers.
A Ministry Service offered exclusively through LCEF, the Architectural Advisory Committee is a group of professional Lutheran architects that volunteer their expertise to LCMS churches, schools, child-care centers, etc. with advice on site and facility planning, as well as design as an expression of God's glory. Also available are liturgical artists that help congregations adorn worship sites with appropriate, significant pieces of art.
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